Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-12-17

INDIGNANT AT PRESIDENT CLEVELAND s
MESSAGE.

conference OF WOOl-g.ONcTS anu
wool dealers Of the United States,
called by the president of the Nation,
al Association of Wool-Growers, the
following was unanimously adopted:
"The wool-dealers and wool-growers
of the United States, representing
a capital of over five hundred mill
lions OF dollars and constituency
of million wool-grovers and wool
dealers, assembled in Washington
this It'll day OF December, 1887, hav
ing read the first annual message of
the President to the Fiftieth Con-
gress declare that the sentiments of
the message are direct attack upon
their industry, one of the most i'm
portant of the country, and in posi-
tive violation of the national demo-
cratic platform of 1884, as interpret
ed by the party leaders and accept
ed by the rank and file of the party /;
that the argument made by the
President for the removal OF our
protection against foreign competi-
ton is the old one, repeatedly made
by the enemies of our industrial pro-
gress, and effectively answered in
nearly every school district of our
land, and so thoroughly disprovsd
by the logic of facts and the demon
STATIONS of experience and history
as to need no answer from us. We
acknowledge that our small hold
inss, our scattered and unorganized
condition make us an easy prey of
the free trader, but we had right
to expect something different, from
the Chief Executive of the nation,
at once the most happy, prosperous
and contsnted of any of the world,
made SO by policy of protection
and development, which he now seeks
to destroy. We had right to ex-
pect our President would favor the
the wool-growers of the United
States, and confess our deep dissp-
pointment that instead be favors the
interests Of our foreign competitors.
Justly alarmed at his position, we
make an appeal from his recommen-
dations, to the people, TO all the peo-
pie, to the seven and three-fourths
millions Of our fellow citizens sngag-
ed in manufacturing to the army of
wage earners, whose wages are main
tanned by the protective system, 10
the tradesmen whose prosperity de-
Ponds upon ours, confident that
their judgment and decision will be
based upon justice and patriotism,
and therefore for the maintenance
of the American policy Of protection
to which the country is indebted for
its unexampled development and
prosperity. To demonstrate the in
justice of the Presidents policy and
the fsllacy Of the remedy he pro-
poses for the reduction Of the sur
plus, we point to the fact that if the
whole amount of the revenue deriv-
ed from wool was abolished it would
reduce the surplus only about five
millions, or less than 10 cents per
capita of the population, which is
paid by foreigners, while the old war
taxes he recommends retained, yield
over one hundred and nineteen mil
lions and is direct tax per capita
of two dollars each, and is what
makes up the great bulk of the sur
plus OF one hundred and forty mil
lions and which fosters most dan
gorous monopoly"
We would further add the follow
ing statistics in regard to the wool
industry The annual revenue de
rived from imports Of wool under
the tariff of 1867 was less tan sl.700,-
900. Under the reduced tariff of
1883 the revenue last year was over
$5,000,000. The number Of sheep in
the country in 1884 was 50,626,626,
in 1887, 44,759,3l4, a decrease OF
nearly 100000, and a diminutlsn
of the annual wool product Of over
35,000,000 pounds, thus showing
that reducing the tariff by the act of
1888 has increased the revenue from
imported woods and diminished the
number of sheep in the United States
about u per cent. and the annual
product in the same proportion.
The Presidents policy would bring
about the destruction of the indus
try, and the same policy of reduc-
ton or abolition Of the tariff would
end in disaster to all the other in
dustrial productive enterprise OF the
country.